I suppose after all the help I've received here I ought to let you in on what I decided:
After getting wounded in combat many people sit in place and heal up to maximum. This is a waste of food.
You wouldn't believe the food savings when healing on the go, choose a path that is low threat and use it to get to a different venue instead of wasting time sitting in place.
What I already know is at the start you have two places to get experience, the mines and deeper in the dungeons of doom. When you reach Sokoban that opens up a third venue. I hammer away at these venues until experience doesn't help anymore. I'm not perfect at it - writing this reminded me of the third option which I gravely needed in my NAO priest game. I've got a mind flayer in the mines and relentless ants in the dungeon of doom. Time for Sokoban.
He's got a blessed corroded mace +2. I'm not certain what the penalties are for corroded and I don't really like the performance I'm getting.